Agenda and minutes

a.    Appointment of Chairman and Vice-Chairman

b.    Air Quality Strategy for Wiltshire

c.    Contaminated Land Strategy

d.    Annual Programme of Highway Works

e.    Family Week, 31 May – 6 June

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Salisbury Area Board, and invited the members of the Board to introduce themselves. 

The meeting was referred to the following announcements set out in the agenda:

a.         Appointment of Chairman and Vice-Chairman - Councillor Mary Douglas informed the meeting that she had been re-elected as Chairman of the Salisbury Area Board at the meeting on 18 May 2010, and that Councillor Chris Cochrane had been elected as Vice-Chairman.

b.        Air Quality Strategy for Wiltshire – Information regarding this consultation was set out at page 3 of the agenda.

c.         Contaminated Land Strategy – This consultation had now closed.

d.        Annual Programme of Highway Works - This programme was now available to view on the Council’s website, at the link set out on page 7 of the agenda. 

e.         Family Week, 31 May – 6 June – Information on this event was set out at page 9 of the agenda.

Apologies for absence had been received from the following:

·         Wiltshire Councillor, and Salisbury City Mayor, Brian Dalton

·         Wiltshire Councillor Ricky Rogers

·         Su Thorpe, Leader of Salisbury City Council

·         Liz Doré of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council

·         Bev Flanagan of Wiltshire College.

The Chairman commented that apologies had also been received from Stephen Spooner (Elim Children’s Centre) who had been due to give a presentation at item 9 (Families).

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Councillor Paul Sample declared a prejudicial interest in item 12 (Performance Reward Grant Scheme) specifically in relation to the application from the Bemerton Heath Community Centre, as he was also a member of the City Council who owned and ran the centre. 

During the meeting, at item 12 (Performance Reward Grant Scheme) Councillor Chris Cochrane declared a personal interest in that item specifically in relation to the application from Salisbury Arts Centre, as he was the Area Board’s representative on the Arts Centre Management Committee.

There were no other declarations of interest.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 18 March 2010.

The minutes of the meeting held on 18 March were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman will feedback on proposed actions arising from the discussion on tourism, which was held at the previous meeting of the Salisbury Area Board on 18 March.

At the previous meeting of the Board there had been a presentation from Alun Williams of Visit Wiltshire and a discussion on how to maximise the benefits of tourism in the Salisbury area.  The feedback from the discussion had been shared with Visit Wiltshire, Salisbury City Council, and Salisbury City Centre Management.

The Chairman reported that some of the ideas proposed were already being done:

·         Language guides – Visit Wiltshire currently provided ‘What To Do in Salisbury’ brochures in French, German, Spanish and Italian.

·         Themed Guided Tours – Visit Wiltshire had invited representatives from the Salisbury International Arts Festival to a meeting of Salisbury hoteliers in March and, as a result, Milford Hall was now promoting the Festival’s themed packages on its website.

·         A Salisbury Guide – City Centre Management and Visit Wiltshire were currently working on a second edition of the Salisbury pocket guide which had been produced last year.

·         Activities for families – many of these had been publicised in the Salisbury Journal over the Easter break.

The Chairman also commented that other suggestions raised at the meeting were now under consideration:

·         Coach park toilets – The condition of these facilities had been raised through the Council’s Issues system.

·         Uniformed ambassadors, street signage – These suggestions would be given further consideration by the Business Improvement District being set up by City Centre Management.

Further information on any of the ideas raised, and on any further suggestions and comments relating to Tourism, was available from Alun Williams of Visit Wiltshire.

To receive updates from the Salisbury City Council representative and the Laverstock and Ford Parish Council representative, in addition to other partner agencies.

In the absence of Su Thorpe, John Abbott of Salisbury City Council (SCC) gave an update on behalf of SCC:

·         Tenders for further works to the Guildhall were currently being submitted and would be opened on 1 June 2010.

·         The new Mayor and Deputy Mayor had been elected at the meeting the previous week.

·         The City Plan was now available on SCC’s website.

·         SCC was organising a free event in the market square to launch the festival week.

David Law of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council commented that the council was currently considering how to address the problem of dog mess around the pavilion area, and that a funding request may be forthcoming on this issue.

a.    Maggie Rae, Joint Director of Public Health, Wiltshire Council, will present the results of the recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for the Salisbury Community Area.

b.    The Chairman will feedback on the outcomes of the Health Fair and Workshop held on 10 May.

The Chairman referred to the Health Fair which had been held on 10 May.  This had been well attended and had included 28 exhibitors.  A highlight had been an opportunity for a group of children to use red dye to see the effects of brushing their teeth.

The Chairman welcomed Maggie Rae, Director of Public Heath, and Mary-Ann McKibben who were in attendance to give a presentation on the findings of the recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which had sought to identify local needs in relation to health and well-being.

The main points raised were as follows:

·         There were a number of areas within Salisbury with a high level of deprivation.  This was often a cause or indicator of major health issues, including smoking, obesity, and lower life expectancy.

·         In general, life expectancy in Salisbury was lower than other Community Areas in Wiltshire.  Life expectancy for men in Salisbury was 77.9 years, compared to the Wiltshire average of 79.3 years.

·         Salisbury also demonstrated a high level of hospital admissions related to alcohol, with an estimated 1,914 admissions per 100,000 people compared to the estimated Wiltshire average of 1,324.

·         “Self reported health” was also lower than average, with only 68.8% of people in the Salisbury area saying they were in “good” or “very good” health, compared to 76.8% across Wiltshire as a whole.

·         Salisbury compared favourably with the rest of the county in relation to having high levels of screening for chlamydia, and also as regards low levels of stroke admissions to hospital.

·         Salisbury compared less favourably in terms of purchasing of fruit (high number spending less than £2 per week on fruit), asthma admissions to hospital, coronary heart disease admissions to hospital, and children’s dental health.

The next steps following the completion of the JSNA would be to hold events such as the Health Fair, and other workshops to identify the priority areas as determined by the local community.  These could then be reflected in the Community Plan, and used to inform the development of a strategy for the Wiltshire Health and Wellbeing Partnership.  There would also be opportunities for grant funding to be sought to address the main areas identified.

The Chairman thanked Maggie and Mary-Ann for the presentation and invited questions and comments from the floor:

·         It was noted that the main areas where Salisbury compared less favourably with the rest of Wiltshire were characteristic of an urban area, which faced different problem to those of sparsely populated, rural areas.

·         Input would be sought from local groups to help identify innovative and new ways of addressing the issues raised through the JSNA.

·         In relation to the sample sizes used to gather the data in the JSNA, this varied depending on the subject.  For example, statistics for child obesity and hospital admissions were based on 100% of the population, while other areas such as domestic violence could only be based on known figures, and it was likely that there were additional, hidden, statistics.

·         It was noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To receive an update from the Community Area Partnership.

Debrah Biggs, Chairman of Salisbury City Community Area Partnership (SCCAP) gave an update on the work of the partnership.

SCCAP was now known as “Our Salisbury” and consideration was being given to a strap line, which would be announced soon.

Work was on-going on the Community Plan, with over 1200 responses having been received to the first round of consultation.  The next round would be going out to every household and business in the city.

At the previous meeting of SCCAP, the main discussion had been on families, and some excellent networking opportunities had arisen.  One of the main issues identified had been the need to publicise services available to families, and several ideas had been proposed.  One of these which would be going forward was for the Trussell Trust to include a list of contact numbers in their food boxes.

The next meeting of SCCAP would take place on 21 June, where the theme would be Climate Change.   The Chairman commented that the Area Board and SCCAP were intentionally coordinating the main themes of their meetings, as climate change would be on the agenda at the Area Board meeting on 22 July.

To receive presentations from Linda Cantillon-Guhat (Advice Service for Kids) and from Stephen Spooner (Elim Children’s Centre).

Followed by a round table discussion on the following questions:

1. What do you think are the issues for families?
2. What can I, or the group I represent, do about it?

The Chairman welcomed Linda Cantillon-Guyatt from the Advice Service for Kids (ASK) who was in attendance to give a presentation on the services and support available for families.

ASK Wiltshire had been established in 1994 and was a registered charity employing around 33 people.  The organisation sought to support parents and those providing care for children up to the age of 19.  Supported by funding from Wiltshire Council, ASK provided a number of services to parents.

One of these was the Family Information Service, which was a helpline for parents, giving advice on a wide variety of issues.  A few examples of the queries received were:

·         a parent seeking play schemes suitable for a six year old child with severe autism;

·         a disabled parent of young children who had experienced abuse;

·         concern over an 11 year old boy who had witnessed domestic abuse and who was refusing to attend school;

·         concern over a 13 year old boy using violence towards his mother;

·         queries over custody issues; and

·         advice on how to afford equipment such as booster seats for cars.

ASK also provided a Parenting Service, to offer skills-based training to parents over a nine session course on communications and relationship building.  This was specifically aimed at parents of children aged between 8-17 and had proven results in terms of reducing reoffending by young people.

Other services provided by ASK were the Parent Partnership Service which supported parents and young people with Special Educational Needs, and the Secondary School Choice Advice Service, which offered advice on the schools application process.

One of the main difficulties facing ASK was the lack of awareness about the services provided.  Parents often commented that they wished they had known of the organisation earlier.  As part of a wider publicity campaign, the organisation was now listed in “Find it”, a leaflet detailing local, regional and national services available to the public.  Copies of this would be available though schools and online.

The Chairman thanked Linda for her presentation and invited those present to discuss the following two questions:

1.    What are the issues for families?

2.    What can I, or the organisation I represent, do about it?

Each table was then invited to feed back one suggestion in relation to the second question.  The following ideas were raised:

·         Family orientated workshops – to develop skills and relationships.

·         Salisbury City Council offered to provide a link from its website to ASK and to offer space in the redeveloped Guildhall for a drop-in clinic.

·         Salisbury Arts Centre currently ran a family festival, and occasional family days.  These could be used to publicise services for parents, as could space in the café, which was popular with young parents.

·         The UNIT could help publicise ASK, through reciprocal links on the websites of the two organisations.

·         Promotion of walking buses.

·         St Edmunds Community Association suggested intergenerational events to bring families together through spoken history or arts activities.

·         St Thomas’ Church offered to publicise ASK through its toddler groups.

·         Reference was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Marianna Dodd (Salisbury Community Area Manager) will report on the progress of the issues recently raised by local people.

Detailed information on the progress of individual issues is available on the council’s website.  Go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboards and click on “Track your community issues”.

A list of the Area Board’s current issues and their status had been tabled for information.  The Chairman reiterated that residents should contact their local Councillor as a first point of contact when raising general issues with the Council.  Issues which extended beyond a single electoral division, or which required input from other partner agencies would then be logged in the issues system for consideration by the Area Board.

Since the Area Board had been set up, 51 issues had been received, of which 28 had been closed by either being resolved or passed on.  In addition, the Area Board was seeking to inform its forward work plan from themes raised as issues.  For example, several comments had been raised in relation to the environment, and so the Area Board meeting on 22 July would be themed around climate change.  This meeting would also include an item to consider cycling, following two issues raised in relation to the use of cycle paths.

In relation to a number of issues raised regarding the Park and Ride bus service, it was noted that the Council’s draft parking strategy would soon be published for consultation.

A member of the public raised concern over an issue which had been raised regarding abandoned shopping trolleys.  This issue had been closed despite not being resolved to his satisfaction.  The Chairman undertook to look into this and to reopen the issue.

a.    To note a summary of Community Area Grants awarded during the 2009/10 year.

b.    To consider applications for community grants with the opportunity for questions from the public.

c.    To consider a report regarding funding the continuation of a Taxi Marshal Scheme in Salisbury.

(a)          Summary of Community Area Grants 2009/10

The Area Board noted a summary of the Community Area Grants awarded during the 2009/10 year.  The Chairman commented that a fuller evaluation would be brought to a future meeting, after some of the “one-off” events funded had taken place.

(b)          Community Area Grants

It was noted that the Area Board had a budget of just over £78,000 for the 2010/11 municipal year.

The Chairman invited a representative from each of the grant applicants to give a brief overview of their project to the Board.  After each of the applicants had spoken, the Chairman invited questions and discussion, then asked for a show of hands from those present to reflect public opinion.  The Board members then voted on each application.

In relation to the application from Dance Aware the applicant advised that the workshop would involve around 25 people, with further outreach in terms of the performance. 

Decision

Dance Aware was awarded £1,000 towards the rehearsal and performance of the Scratch Orchestra Salisbury project.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants criteria for 2010/11 and would allow this community dance project to proceed.

Responding to a question, the applicant for the Salisbury RSA Big Project explained that the project would link in with the forthcoming community plan.  It was also confirmed that Salisbury High School had been invited to join the initiative.

Decision

Salisbury RSA Fellows Network was awarded £1,000 towards the Big Project, which sought to involve Salisbury’s school and college students in range of creative and community activities.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria for 2010/11 and would support this intergenerational project to develop and promote social inclusion across participating schools.

The applicant for Circular Arts explained that the application sought to support the Lanterns for Salisbury 2010 project, which comprised a 8-10 week programme of workshops, culminating in a Christmas lantern parade through Salisbury.  The grant funding was required to minimise the cost to participants.

While in general the Area Board Councillors supported the project, commenting that previous lantern parades had been excellent events, concern was raised regarding the £9,900 budgeted for “outreach workshop artist fees”.  It was also noted that another application was under consideration by the Tidworth Area Board for a similar project.

The applicant responded that the money budgeted for outreach workshop artist fees was to allow the project to engage the services of professional artists to support and train the participants through the workshops.  The project in Tidworth would involve around 12 artists from across the country, whereas the Salisbury project sought to involve more local artists.  Over time the project hoped to train up volunteers so that they could lead the workshops, however this was not always possible due to the flexible nature of volunteering.

It was reiterated that Councillors supported this project, however it was considered important to ensure that public money was spent appropriately and put to the most effective use.  As such, it was moved and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To consider whether the Area Board wishes to support any expressions of interest received in relation to this scheme.

The Chairman announced that, following a request from the applicants, the bid from the Unit would be considered first.

(a)          Firestarter Arts

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board supported the bid from The Unit to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

(b)          Wiltshire Alternative Youth Sports

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board supported the bid from Wiltshire Alternative Youth Sports (WAYS) to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

(c)          St Michael’s Community Centre

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board supported the bid from St Michael’s Community Centre to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

(d)          Bemerton Heath Community Centre

Having declared a prejudicial interest in this item, as a member of the City Council which owned and ran the Community Centre, Councillor Paul Sample left the room for consideration of this application.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board supported the bid from Bemerton Heath Community Centre to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

(e)          Salisbury Arts Centre

Councillor Chris Cochrane declared a personal interest in this application as the Area Board’s nominated representative on the Salisbury Arts Centre Management Committee.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board supported the bid from Salisbury Arts Centre to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

To note the appointments to outside bodies which were made by the Board last year and to note that these appointments will continue for 2010/11.

The Area Board noted the list of organisations and appointments at page 77 of the agenda.

The Chairman noted that there were still vacancies on some of the bodies listed, and invited Councillors to volunteer to represent the Area Board on those organisations.

To note the Board’s Forward Plan, including details of future agenda items.

The date of the next meeting is Thursday 22 July, 7pm at St Edmunds Methodist Church Hall.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and encouraged people to complete the evaluation forms.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Salisbury Area Board would be held at Salisbury Methodist Church at 7pm on 22 July 2010, where the theme would be Climate Change.